Yet this natural resource continues to be under serious threat. Invasive species have the potential to fundamentally alter the habitat and food chain that support aquatic life in the lakes. In addition, climate change is expected to cause increases in water temperature and changes in water levels, affecting where certain species can live.

Silver and Bighead carp, collectively known as Asian carp, are invasive species currently causing alarm in the Great Lakes region. The carp are advancing on Lake Michigan from the Illinois River through the connection between the two watersheds provided by the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Their ability to plunder vast amounts of nutrients from waterways and reproduce at alarming rates have environmentalists, scientists, legislators, and concerned citizens alike working to prevent their invasion.

Responding to the threat of Asian carp will require the cooperation of a number of state and federal agencies as well as diverse business and public interest stakeholders. It will require quick and coordinated action in the short term and comprehensive planning to find long term solutions. Along with Joyce, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and many other Joyce grantees are committed to seeing those solutions developed and implemented.

The NRDC, which protects wildlife and our natural environment, is also pursuing additional strategies to preserve the lakes. With a Joyce grant, NRDC will work to ensure climate change and invasive species are addressed in the upcoming renegotiation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, an international commitment between the United States and Canada to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the lakes. They are also seeking to regulate ballast water, water discharged from ocean ships, which has introduced many of the invasive species that currently plague our waters.

NRDC’s four-part plan includes encouraging Great Lakes states to adopt strict ballast water regulations, strengthening national policy on ballast water discharges, developing new sustainable alternatives to ocean-going shipping in the Great Lakes, and recommending how the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement should be amended to address the harmful impact of global warming and invasive species in the lakes.

"Invasive species and global warming are clearly damaging the Great Lakes’ economy, water quality, and our way of life,” commented Frances Beinecke, president of NRDC. “Addressing climate change while making shipping more sustainable will help stop the alien invasion of our waters and is critical in the fight to protect our waterways."

Find out more about the Joyce Foundation’s Environment program by clicking here.